When it comes to not only being the best cook you possibly can be, but also keeping your cooking exciting and fun, my number one tip is this: set yourself up for success by filling your pantry with the best ingredients you can get your oven mitts on. Not just your favorite staples that you swear by, but also exciting, refreshing new ingredients and food that’ll take the ordinary to the extraordinary.
The concept… the very words, in fact… of taking the ordinary to the extraordinary came to me recently when I made something I make probably 20 times a month – fried eggs.
Pasolivo’s Citrus Olive Oil
Typically, I use a combination of olive oil and butter in the pan when frying eggs. Butter, of course, brings a wonderful flavor to the egg game, as does olive oil. Olive oil also keeps butter from getting too dark and ruining everything. However, a few weeks ago, as I was about to make a couple of eggs over easy, I reached for my Pasolivo Citrus Olive Oil instead of my regular olive oil. I told the butter he could sit this one out – so I simply added a little of the beautiful smelling Citrus Olive Oil to the pan and cooked my eggs as I normally do
Holy. Cats. It was out of this world. The citrus flavor combined with the eggs in a way that is almost impossible to describe. Basically, it took something that I’ve made a million times and made it seem like it was something brand new.
It took ordinary to extraordinary.
Pasolivo’s Rosemary Olive Oil
Pasolivo’s beautifully fragrant and delicious Rosemary Olive Oil has the exact same effect on chicken, roasted new potatoes (pictured above), pork, and (of course) pasta. It woke up a pasta salad recently by infusing such a wonderful rosemary flavor that you’d swear you were eating in an herb garden.
I love using the Rosemary Olive Oil in my skillet for cooking chicken strips. The Rosemary Oil brings a fresh, authentically Italian flavor to anything you pair it with. Drizzled over new potatoes, it made possibly the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had.
They sit and “roast” while I’m getting everything else ready. Finish off with a little sea salt or Kosher salt and you have a side that’s as delicious as it is nutritious.
I’d expect that Pasolivo’s Basil Olive Oil is a Heavenly combo with tomatoes, too.
You can, of course, simply slice tomatoes (or halve cherry tomatoes) and arrange them on a platter with mozzarella slices or balls… then drizzle with Olive Oil or Rosemary Olive Oil, a little salt, and BOOM! A quick, easy, and oh so good appetizer or side.
Pasolivo’s Lime Olive Oil
I’ve also completely loved the Lime Olive Oil. I have used it with fish and chicken – so good! I haven’t tried the Lemon Olive Oil yet, but I have a feeling it is every bit as memorable as the Lime. Seriously, the lime olive oil brings out a fresh, new flavor in fish and chicken dishes.
The Lime Olive Oil pairs beautifully with chicken (grilled chicken with the lime oil is pictured toward the top of the post). The subtle flavor it adds somehow compliments chicken’s natural flavor and kicks it up to a whole new level.
I’ve also used the Pasolivo Lime Olive Oil when making tacos and other southwestern dishes. Pictured above is a Black Bean Rice Bowl I made for supper one night not long ago. I steamed the rice, sauteed onion, jalapeno peppers, and chopped green pepper in the Lime Olive Oil, then added canned black beans (drained and rinsed), a little more lime olive oil, and salt.
When it came time to assemble the bowls, I put the steamed rice on the bottom, followed by the black bean mixture, chopped tomatoes, shredded leaf lettuce, white cheese, crumbled Queso Fresco, and cilantro.
The flavor the lime olive oil brought to the party made the entire dish fresh, flavorful, and flat out delicious.
There is absolutely NO artificial or “off” flavor with Pasolivo’s Rosemary, Lime or Citrus Olive Oils – they simply taste perfect. You’d swear the flavor came from real citrus and rosemary. They’re mind-bogglingly delicious.
Pasolivo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pasolivo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also excellent. To be honest, it’s in a league of its own. When you specialize in making the best Olive Oils you possibly can, you tend to become something of an expert in the field. You can taste Pasolivo’s expertise each and every time. I also LOVE the adorable tins these oils come in. They’re fun, unique, and make me smile every time I see them on my counter.
They’re far too good looking to put into a pantry or cabinet. Mine sit out right beside my Rachael Ray gadgets – an honor afforded to precious few.
Pasolivo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also a delicious and healthy alternative for buttery garlic bread. Pour a little into a beautiful dish, add a little cracked black pepper – then dip your bread into the deliciousness – healthier than butter and uncommonly delicious. As you’d imagine, the Rosemary Olive Oil is PERFECT for this approach. PERFECT.
Pasolivo has a beautiful assortment of olive oils (click here to view all of them):
- Rosemary Olive Oil
- Citrus Olive Oil
- Basil Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Tangerine Olive Oil
- California Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Lemon Olive Oil
- Lime Olive Oil
- Kitchen Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I often love the food products and kitchen gadgets I’m sent to review on Get Cooking. Every now and then something will come along and I honestly wonder how I ever lived without it. I’ll go on to become their biggest fan and most loyal customer. This is definitely the case with Pasolivo Oils. I have no intention of ever running out of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Rosemary Olive Oil, Citrus Olive Oil, or Lime Olive Oil.
What’s more, I fully intend to buy and use each of the others. I’ll let you know how wonderful they are.
Visit Pasolivo’s Website for more information about the company, tips, recipes, and ideas for using their award winning olive oils. Be sure to order some for yourself today.
You’ll be incredibly glad you did so.
